Electronic Article Surveillance (“EAS”) systems are often incorporated in retail settings to protect item or articles from unauthorized removal. These EAS system may include a monitoring system and one or more security tags or labels in which the monitoring system establishes a surveillance or interrogation zone, usually at an access point for the controlled area. Articles which are authorized for removal from the area can have the tag deactivated or removed at checkout so as not be detectable by the monitoring system. However, if the monitored item enters the surveillance zone with an active security tag, an alarm may be triggered to indicate possible unauthorized removal of the item.
EAS tags or labels can be constructed in several different configurations that are often dictated by the nature of the article to be protected. For example, pre-packaged goods which are subject to retail theft, such as CDs, DVDs, small electronic devices, etc., may contain an EAS label disposed within the packaging in such a way that it is hidden from the consumer, at least during the pre-purchase period. For user wearable items such as clothing, the EAS label may be enclosed in a rigid housing that can be removably secured to article 20 as illustrated in FIG. 1. This configuration is referred to as system 10 that includes EAS hard tag 12 and tack 14 with pin 16 that is inserted through the fabric of the clothing article 20 and secured in place on the opposite side of the fabric with locking mechanism 18. The housing cannot be removed from the clothing without destroying the housing except by using an EAS deactivator or detacher.
Tack 14 typically includes a pin 16 and tack head in which the pin 16 engages with locking mechanism 18 to releasably secure tack 14. More importantly, EAS tags 12 uses pin 16 having a diameter of 1.2 millimeters (0.047 inches) or larger. This 1.2 mm diameter pin size has been used since the inception of the EAS hard tag industry to the present in which the 1.2 mm pin diameter has become the standard size pin for the hard tag industry. Pin 16 of tack 14 is maintained within the tag body 12 by a receiving and locking mechanism 18. One type of locking mechanism 18 is a spring clamp arrangement in which groves in pin 16 (not shown) engage the spring clamp mechanism to releasable lock tack 14 in place.
However, due to the groves notched into the pin 16, pin 16's diameter cannot be less than 1.2 mm as the notches would create a fragile breaking point in a smaller diameter sized pin that can easily be defeated by a thief, i.e., a smaller diameter pin would break at the notches and would not be able to withstand an eighty pound pull force. Another clutch used in EAS hard tags is a magnetic ball-clutch arrangement in which groove-less pin 16 is releasably engaged by a configuration of balls such that tack 14 is substantially prevented from being removed from the tag. The ball-clutch arrangement of known devices requires a pin diameter of at least 0.9 mm and balls having a diameter 2.5 mm in order to be able to withstand an eighty pound pull force. If the diameter of pin 16 was made smaller the ball-clutch would not be able to properly grasp pin 16 such that a thief could easily pull out tack 14 without a security tag detacher, thereby rendering the security tag useless.
One problem with the standard 1.2 mm diameter pin size is that it is too large for many applications. Retailers consider the standard size 1.2 mm pin to be unacceptable for use on items such as leather, vinyl and or finely-woven and/or delicate materials. For example, when the 1.2 mm diameter pin is inserted through the item, the item incurs some damage from pin 16. Pin 16 being inserted and removed from a more coarsely-woven fabric will not result in substantially visible damage; however, with finely-woven or solid materials, the standard size pin diameter of 1.2 mm will leave a permanent and very visible hole in the fabric. Similarly, insertion of a 1.2 mm diameter pin through leather will permanently damage the item with a noticeable pin hole. This damage to article 20 which may be incurred due to the attached theft deterrent device is unacceptable to customers at the point of sale.
Another problem with EAS hard tags is that attachment of the tag via pin 16 to delicate materials such as silk, satin-woven and sheer fabrics can result in the materials being torn by pin 16 during routine handling of the item. When existing hard tags are attached to smaller, delicate item such as lingerie the size and weight of the tag relative to the item results in pin 16 working against the fabric. In other words, while the tag is attached to the fabric via pin 16, handling of the item typically pushes and pulls the fabric making the pin hole larger, often leaving the fabric with a noticeable hole greater than the 1.2 mm diameter of pin 16. Furthermore, a grooved pin that is required by many tack-retaining clutch systems also tends to snag and tear delicate fabrics as the fabrics get caught in the notches of pin 16.
Yet another problem with the prior art hard tags is that there is no one type of EAS hard tag solution which works on all types of shoes. This is because the current standard pin diameter of 1.2 mm is considered too large for shoes due to the fact that piercing the leather with the 1.2 mm pin results in a large and very visible hole in the leather. Therefore, retail stores will often choose a different and often more expensive hard tag specifically made for protecting shoes but that likely cannot be re-used to protect other types of items such as clothing.